Self-moving plant comprising a mechanical continuously working salt gathering machine in artificial salt-marshes



Nov. 6, 1962 M. CARELLO PLANT CONTINUOUSLY W0 SELF-MOVING COMPRISING A MECHANICAL RKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES 7' Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Sapt. 17, 1959 y M: m n N m A M e a a r w 0 M Y Q B J O mw F m x, N x YO CARELLO Nov. 6, 1962 M. SELF-MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A MECHANICAL CONTINUOUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES Flled Sept. 17, 1959 a 2 O H e t w W a M c m p S o e A R M 7 usi mwfl Nov. 6, 1962 M. CARELLO 3,061,953

SELF-MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A MECHANICAL CONTINUOUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES R f O 0 W I N T w o m m r. m M e m M m m .7 M

Filed Sept. 17, 1959 Nov. 6, 1962 M. CARELLO 3,

SELF-MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A MECHANICAL CONTINUOUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 17, 1959 INVENI OR 7140/: t rose Ca r e [/0 ,mzmxm ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1962 M. CARELLO 3,061,953

SELF- MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A MECHANICAL CONTINUOUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES Filed Sept. 17, 1959 Thets-Sheet e Nov. 6, 1962 M. CARELLO 3,061,953

SELF-MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A MECHANICAL CONTINUOUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFICIAL SALT-MARSHES Filed Sept. 17, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 om m? y Q 9w I 4 ma 3 3 mm mm m 4 ,7 1 hm ww w w m Mn ".31 n N m M n h a m 4% mm m m 7 m A Q mm mm u rm +m mm om E vm 2 mm mom 3 a 3 g 8 E NV Unite States Patent Ofifice 3,061,953 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 3,061,953 SELF-MOVING PLANT COMPRISING A ME- CHANICAL CONTINUSUSLY WORKING SALT GATHERING MACHINE IN ARTIFI- CIAL SALT-MARSHES Montrose Carello, Via Sant Ambrogio 20, Turin, Italy Filed Sept. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 840,560 Claims priority, application Italy Dot. 2.5, 1958 9 Claims. ((Il. 37-1) The present invention relates to salt gathering apparatus.

An important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for removing strips of salt from a salt bank which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the material it removes from a salt bank contains a small percentage of impurities and need not be subjected to a complex washing treatment.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the just outlined characteristics which does not damage the bottom of the salt bank, whose output is greater than the output of apparatus of which I am aware at this time, and which requires little supervision when put to actual use.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a salt gathering apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURES 1a and lb are the forward and rearward extensions respectively of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURES 2a and 2b are top plan views of FIGS. 1a and 111 respectively;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary partly elevational and partly sectional view of the track which forms part of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary partly elevational and partly sectional detailed view of the structure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a salt scraping tool in a position it assumes when put to actual use;

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of an oscillating frame which forms part of the salt gathering apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged transverse section through the apparatus; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a salt stripping machine which forms part of the apparatus.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an apparatus for removing strips of salt from a salt bank which comprises an elongated framework 11 supporting at its top the upper run of a first or head conveyor 12, this conveyor serving as a means for moving salt longitudinally of the framework 11. The framework rotatably supports two elongated tubular ground contacting components 13 each of which consists of several sections arranged end to end. The tubular components 13 together constitute an elongated track. The coaxial sections of the tubular components 13 are joined in a manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring first to FIG. 3, the sections of a tubular component are separated by an intermediate collar 14 whose outer diameter approaches the outer diameters of the sections. The transversely aligned collars 14 of the two tubular components 13- are rigidly connected to each other by transversely extending profiled horizontal cross girders 110 which form part of the framework 11. Each collar 14 rotatably receives a coaxial coupling element or boss 15 whose ends are non-rotatably connected to bearing sleeves or bushes 13a provided in and rigid with the adjacent end portions or heads of the sections of the tubular component.

The means for non-rotatably connecting the bushes 13a with the respective ends of the boss 15 comprises keys or cotters 16 which extend into complementary cutouts provided in the periphery of the boss and in the walls of annular bores formed in the bushes 13a. The bosses 15 serve as a means for coaxially connecting the sections of the tubular components 13 end-to-end and in such a way that all sections of each component constitute a rigid unit which is rotatable with respect to the collars 14.

The rigidity of the track 13, 13 is maintained even if the cotters 16 are removed, i.e. even if the bosses 15 are free to rotate in the respective bushes 13a, because the framework 11 is sufficiently rigid to hold the sections of the tubular components 13 in axial alignment with each other.

The collars 14 and the griders 11a are spaced uniformly in the longitudinal direction of the track whose length may be in the range of say 50 meters. As shown in FIG. 1, the track may consist of two sections which are connected to each other by loose joints A so that the track sections connected by these joints may perform independent translatory movements to thereby permit axial alignment of the apparatus.

The translatory movements of the two track sections connected by the joint A (Le. a rolling of tubular components 13 along the ground) are brought about by rotating means including two speed reducing units 17 which are driven by the motors of the conveyor 12, by separate electric motors, or by separate internal combustion engmes.

The reducing units 17 transmit motion to suitable control and engaging devices which in turn drive chains passing about sprockets 18 one of which is shown in FIG. 4. Each sprocket 18 is mounted on a boss 15'. The sprocket 18 is received in a short cylinder which extends between a pair of collars 14 in which the boss 15 is free to rotate. The sprocket 18 and the boss 15 constitute means for transmitting motion from a reducing unit 17 to the tubular components 13. Two or more such motion transmitting means may be provided for each section of the track, depending on the length and on the weight of the apparatus.

The head conveyor 12 is driven by electric motors or internal combustion engines through a reducing unit which comprises a counter pulley 19 cooperating with a second counter pulley 20 to drive the conveyor 12. The longitudinal ends of the upper conveyor run 12a are inclined in downward direction owing to the provision of guide rolls which deflect the conveyor run 12a and owing to the fact that the pulleys 19, 20' are located at a level below the guide rolls.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pulley 20 may extend beneath the discharge end of a similar second apparatus (shown in broken lines) and the pulley 19 may extend above the intake end of a third apparatus (shown in broken lines at the right-hand end of FIG. 1) when it is desired to build up a composite structure comprising a plurality of apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 2.

The rotary tubular components 13 serve as a means for moving the apparatus in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the framework 11 when their sprockets 18 are driven by the reducing units 17, and the components 13 further serve as rails for guiding a stripping or salt gathering machine B so that this machine may move in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus.

The stripping machine B is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 68. It comprises a motor frame 21 supported on four wheels 23 which are mounted for travel longitudinally of the tubular components 13 (see FIG. 7). The wheels 23 are centered on the respective components 13 by lateral rollers 23a which are mounted on brackets secured to the frame 21. As best seen in FIG. 7, the rollers 23a engage the outer sides of the respective components 13 and thus prevent lateral displacements of the stripping machine B even if the components 13 are rotated about their respective axes when the operator desires to bring about lateral displacements of the apparatus. The frame 21 of the machine B is connected with an oscillating frame 21a which is laterally adjacent to the track 13, 13 and which carries two salt removing means each provided at one longitudinal end of the frame 21a. The frame 21a is oscillatable about the horizontal axis of a transversely extending shaft 22, best shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, this shaft being journaled in the machine frame 21. Each salt removing means comprises a drum 24 which is rotatable about a transverse shaft mounted at one longitudinal end of the oscillating frame 21a and which is provided with substantially bucket-shaped salt crushing and comminuting members 24a.

When the oscillating frame 21a assumes the operative position of FIG. 6 and moves with the frame 21 in a direction to the right, as indicated by the arrow X, the right-hand drum 24 will extend downwardly to the level of a shovel 48 (FIG. Forwardly of the drum 24, there is provided a salt cutting means in the form of a circular saw 25 which, as clearly shown in FIG. 8, is located in a plane slightly lateral of the outermost salt collecting member 24a, i.e. the collecting members 24a are located between the plane of the saw 25 and the nearest tubular component 13.

Rearwardly adjacent to the drum 24, there is provided a roller 26 which cooperates with a similar roller 26a to drive a second endless belt conveyor 27. The rollers 26, 26a are mounted at the longitudinal ends of a smaller oscillating frame 28 which is oscillatable about the horizontal axis of a transversely extending shaft 29 supported in the frame 21a in such a way that the inclination of the frame 28 and hence of the conveyor 27 may be adjusted independently of the inclination of the frame 21a. The frame 28 carries rollers 26b which serve as a means for maintaining the conveyor 27 under requisite tension.

The stripping machine B further comprises a pair of transversely extending auxiliary conveyors 30 which transfer the product delivered by the belt conveyor 27 to the head conveyor 12. Each auxiliary conveyor 30 is mounted on the frame 21 for travel about a pair of spaced rollers 30a (see FIG. 8) which are supported by auxiliary conveyor frames 3%. The auxiliary conveyors 30 are located at a level above the upper run 12a of the head conveyor 12 and receive salt from that end of the belt conveyor 27 which is lifted above the ground.

The means for driving the rollers 30a of the conveyors 30 comprises bevel gears 31 which are driven by chain sprockets 33 through suitable couplings 32. The arrangement is such (see FIG. 8) that only one transverse conveyor 30 is driven at a time.

The sprockets 33 are driven by chains 34 passing about sprockets 35 mounted on a transversely extending drive shaft 36 which is driven by a power source 37 shown in FIG. 2, e.g. an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. The connection between the motor 37 and the shaft 36 comprises a series of spur gears 37a shown in FIG. 8.

At each of its longitudinal ends, the frame 21a of the stripping machine B carries a transversely extending shaft 38 provided with eccentrics 39 for straps 40, the latter connected with eccentric rods or arms 41 rigidly secured to each other by a transversely extending crossbar 41a. The free ends of the arms 41 are connected with the respective end of the oscillating frame 21a by locking pins or pegs 42. Each shaft 38 carries a bevel gear 38a 4 (FIG. 8) meshing with a bevel gear 43a connected with one end of a drive shaft 43 whose other end carries a second bevel gear 44 meshing with a bevel gear 45 secured to a boss 46 journalled in the frame 21a and connected with a steering wheel 47.

The oscillating frame 21a is provided at each of its ends with a shovel shaped salt scraping and collecting tool 48 (see FIGS. 1, 5 and 6) of arcuate shape whose front portion or cutting edge 48a is located at a level above its central portion 48b. The inclination of the edge 48 with respect to a horizontal plane when the respective end of the oscillating frame 21a moves into ground contacting position is preferably between 24 degrees. This is indicated with some exaggeration by the angle alpha in FIG. 5. The edge 48a is located at the level of the bottom D of a salt bank C.

The various motion transmitting elements will be described duriug the following description of the operation of my apparatus. Such elements are shown rather schematically because their exact construction forms no part of this invention.

The apparatus is operated as follows:

The parts of the apparatus may be assembled at the locale of actual use and, to that end, the apparatus preferably consists of parts which may be readily taken apart and which may be conveniently reassembled when necessary. Before assembling the apparatus preparatory to removal of a salt bank, a strip of salt of a width corresponding to the width of the track 13, 13 is removed from the bank so that the tubular components 13 may be placed onto the bottom D from which the salt layer was removed in a preceding step either by hand or in any other suitable way. The length of the tubular components 13 normally approximates the length of the salt bank. The sections of the track are thereupon assembled and connected to each other by the joints A, followed by the mounting of the stripping machine 13 at one longitudinal end of the assembled track so that the machine may travel toward the other longitudinal end of the tubular components 13. The operator then swings the oscillating frame 21a so that the forward end of the conveyor 27, i.e. that end which faces the direction of travel (arrow X in FIG. 6) is moved toward the salt bank. In the next step, the operator secures the lower ends of the arms 41 to the forward end of the oscillating frame 21a by inserting the pegs 42 through the eyes formed at the lower ends of the arms 41 so as to lock the frame 21a in the position of FIG. 6. The auxiliary conveyors 30 are movable transversely of the machine B on rollers which are mounted in the frame 21, and one of these conveyors (i.e. the left hand auxiliary conveyor 30 as seen in FIG. 8) is moved beneath the lifted rear end of the band conveyor 27 so that the material advancing upwardly on the upper run of the conveyor 27 may drop onto the conveyor 30 therebelow and will be advanced onto the head conveyor 12. When the front arms 41 are secured to the oscillating frame 21a, the conveyor 27 encloses an acute angle #3 with a horizontal plane as is shown in FIG. 6. The operator then starts the motor 37 to drive the shaft 22 and the gears 37a so as to simultaneously rotate the shaft 36 which latter is coaxial with the shaft 22. The clutch assemblies 49, shown in FIG. 8, drivingly connect the shaft 36 with pairs of bevel gears 50 which are mounted on shafts 51. These shafts carry bevel gears 52 which mesh with and thereby drive the wheels 23 mounted on the tubular components 13. The clutch assemblies 49 may disconnect the shafts 51 from the shaft 36 so that the stripping machine B may be arrested while the conveyor 12 continues to advance salt in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus. This is necessary when the machine B completes the removal of a salt strip from the bank C while some salt still remains on the upper conveyor run 12a.

The transverse conveyors 30 are driven by the aforementioned chains 34 through sprockets 35 on the shaft 36 through sprockets 33 and through clutch assemblies 32 which latter permit disconnection of the one or the other conveyor 30 so that only one conveyor (the lefthand conveyor 30 of FIG. 8) is actually driven when the apparatus is in use.

The shaft 22 drives the drums 24 and the circular saw 25 through its sprockets 53, through sprockets 55, 56 on the shafts of the drums, through sprockets 5-8 on the shafts of the saws, through chains 54 which pass about the sprockets 53, 55 and through chains 57 which pass about the sprockets 56, 58.

The operator controls the steering wheel 47 while occupying one of the seats 5?, i.e. the left hand seat when the machine B moves to the right, as viewed in PEG. 2, and the right-hand seat when the machine B moves in the opposite direction.

By turning the steering Wheel 47, the driver may adjust the position of the cutting edge 48a with respect to the bottom D of the salt bank C (see FIG. 5) while the machine B advances along the track 13, 13. The operative connection between the wheel 47 and the scraping tools 48 comprises the aforementioned gears 44, 45, the shafts 43, the gears 38a, 43a, the shafts 38, the straps 40, the eccentrics 3 9 and the arms 41. The pressure transmitted by the steering wheel 47 to the momentarily operative tool 48 will vary in dependency on the firmness of the bottom D. The edge 48a is led between the salt bank C and the bottom D and the arcuate median portion 48b of the scraping tool actually compresses the bottom in a manner shown in FIG. 5.

The saw 25 cuts into the bank C to separate therefrom a strip which is subsequently removed by the tool 48. The comminuting members 24a are rotated by the drum 24 to crush the strip lifted by the scraping tool 48 and to transfer the comminuted material unto the conveyor 27 which advances the material onto one of the auxiliary conveyors 30 and the latter thereupon transfers the material onto the upper run 12a of the head conveyor 12. The conveyor 12 delivers salt onto a pile or into suitable carriages, not shown.

When the machine B has completed a run along the track 13, 13 the track is moved transversely toward the salt bank. The sections of the track are aligned once more and the oscillating frame 21a is tilted in the opposite direction so that the machine B is ready to begin a new run along the track to remove a next strip of salt from the bank.

The bottom D onto which the apparatus is advanced upon removal of a salt strip is free of salt and is compressed or compacted by the tubular components 13 so that it is ready for the formation of a new salt layer thereon without necessitating any treatment preliminary to the formation of a new salt layer.

The operation of my apparatus may be controlled by two operators; one operator is in charge of the motors and the other operator controls the steering wheel 47.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gift of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

Iclaim:

1. An apparatus for removing strips of salt from a salt bank, said apparatus comprising, in combination, an elongated track comprising at least two spaced tubular ground contacting components and a framework for maintaining said tubular components in spaced position in such manner that the components are rotatable with respect to the framework; means for rotating said components and for thereby moving the track in directions transverse to the longitudinal direction of said components; first conveyor means mounted on said framework for moving salt longitudinally of said components; a stripping machine for removing salt from the bank, said stripping machine comprising means mounted for travel longitudinally of said components, means for moving said machine longitudinally of said components, an oscillating frame pivotable about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said components and located laterally of said track, and salt removing means mounted at each longitudinal end of said oscillating frame for alternately removing a strip of salt from the salt bank while the machine is advanced longitudinally of said components in a first and second direction, respectively; and second conveyor means for delivering salt stripped by said salt removing means from said oscillating frame onto said first conveyor means.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second conveyor means comprises a pair of spaced transversely extending auxiliary conveyors mounted on said stripping machine for alternately delivering salt to said first conveyor means when the stripping machine is respectively advanced in said first and second directions, and an endless belt conveyor mounted on said oscillating frame for alternately delivering salt from the salt removing means located at the opposite longitudinal ends of said oscillating frame to one of said auxiliary conveyors.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said endless belt conveyor comprises an oscillating frame mounted on and adjustable with respect to said first named oscillating frame.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said salt removing means comprises a substantially shovel shaped arcuate scraping tool and further com prising means including a steering wheel for vertically adjusting the position of said scraping tool with respect to the salt bank.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said salt removing means comprises a rotary drum and comminuting members connected with said drum for crushing the strip of salt removed from the bank by the respective scraping tool.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said salt removing means comprises a circular saw for separating a strip from the salt bank in advance of the respective scraping tool.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said tubular components comprises a plurality of sections arranged end to end, and further comprising coupling elements for coaxially connecting said sections.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a collar rotatably receiving each of said coupling elements and means including girders for connecting the collars to said framework.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the means for rotating said components comprises sprockets connected to said coupling elements and cotters for nonrotatably connecting the coupling elements to the respective sections.

References (Iitetl in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,615 Jefferies Apr. 6, 1915 2,689,716 Bainbridge Sept. 21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 822,238 France Sept. 13, 1937 1,005,486 France Dec. 26, 1951 

